Breathe your life into me
by AranelEraisuithiel
Summary: "So, what? You're just gonna follow me around now?" She turned to look at him slightly annoyed "Don't flatter yourself…" he chuckled meeting her eyes "You happen to be in my way" he smiled nonchalant. "Oh really? Lucky me" she hissed, her eyes squinting.
1. Chapter 1

**Breathe your life into me**

Prologue

_I don__'t want to hurt from anymore pain  
Let me breathe my last breath_

* * *

Shivering cold.

The sound of water slowly filling the tub couldn't muffle the ringing in her ears nor the frantic thuds that violently drummed against the walls of her chest. She shivered hard at the contact of the freezing water, her eyes in some way disoriented, made her unable to properly see what she was doing.

_Zist. _

She slightly winced as the thin-sharp blade touched her skin, though the movement was swift as a butterfly's kiss. There was a small stinging sensation around the area where she'd made the deep, thin cut, but it was _nothing_ compared to the pain that consumed her insides.

_Zist. _

She mirrored the first movement on her other wrist, just in case _one_ wasn't enough to provide her what she seeked.

Several thick drops oozed out from the incisions of her pale slit wrists, tainting the water into a faded shade of red; she could hardly feel the blood flowing freely through them; the freezing water had numbed her whole within seconds.

In a blink of an eye, the brilliant crimson surrounded her, swallowing her weary naked body completely. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, immediately getting confused with the edge of the water that reached the level of her chin.

'_Oh, how I long for the deep sleep… dreaming the goddess of imaginary light' _ she silently quoted whilst one last tear full of bitterness rolled down.

Slowly, she began to sink even deeper into the tub, holding her breath for the last agonizing moments, waiting for unconsciousness to claim her hatred life.

_Death. Such a peaceful gift. _Her lips gave a faint smile, but the corners pulled down into a frown a second later.

_The irony._ She scoffed humorlessly to herself._ I used to be willing to do what ever it took to keep myself alive and now… _Bitterness filled her insides. _Not worth it anymore._

_Should have written a good-bye note. _A hint of panic hit her for a brief instant. _But, addressed to whom, exactly? _She glowered at the thought. _Ugh, always so dramatic about everything _she snapped at herself.

_I just wished this__ would be quicker. _

She enjoyed the peace she was immersed in and didn't think about anything else after that; the darkness continued to consume her, pulling her into the nothingness. _This was it_, what she was waiting for.

_Death._

"Kristen?!" a weak speck of a voice sounding thousands of miles away vaguely caught her attention. Something deeply buried inside of what was left of her conscience, became aware of it.

_Wha…? _Her shut eyes fluttered softly once she heard her name.

"Kristen?!" it insisted, becoming even louder now. She blasphemed angrily at the owner of the voice that pulled her out of her delicious oblivion. Kristen was more aware now that she wasn't alone in the house.

_I just hope that they don't fi-… _her plea was interrupted by the sound of the bathroom's door being opened in a loud swoosh.

"OH MY GOD!" a terrorized voice gasp filled the inside of the small room. "No. No. No! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?!?"

_Shit!_ Kristen cussed to herself. _Stupid door; should have made sure it was locked first!_

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you so much for reading the Prologue--- (I know that is rather short)

I would love to hear what you think of my new story. **I beg you to read and review.**


	2. The fight inside

**Breathe your life into me**

1. The fight inside

_It's still the same, pur__suing pain_

_Isn't worth the light I've gained- RED_

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

Hazy smoke and loud music only seemed to worsen her mood. Kristen had the urge to go back to Sophie's apartment and hide in amid of shadows of those four safe walls and pretend like she didn't exist. The idea kept swirling in the back of her head over and over again, but she didn't want to look like a bitter-old bitch. _Not after what Soph's done for me _she internally grimaced. So, in spite of herself, she decided to stay as a thank you gesture to her friend.

Sophie had been nice enough to let her move in when she had no other place to go and now was trying, with a lot of effort, to cheer Kristen up by taking her on a girls night out around town and a couple of drinks at a local pub that was just a couple of blocks from their apartment.

_Making her forget that __pathetic-low life, dumbass excuse of an ex-boyfriend of hers 's the main idea _Sophie thought as she quickly glanced at the girl sitting next to her. _Hey, with that little black dress of hers, I'm sure I could even get her laid _she smiled whilst placing her shot in her burgundy lips, checking out her friend first and then her emerald eyes scanning a couple of guys that sat a the table across from theirs.

According to Sophie's better judgment, Adam was cheating, gambling-crack-addict son of a bitch that just made Kris' life a living hell. But of course, Sophie didn't know half of her shitty story. In fact, Kristen kept several deadly details to herself and never mentioned them to her best friend, because she knew exactly what would happen.

Adam's brutal rampages had shattered and scarred Kristen's life for good. Over the years she'd learned to find a way around to survive them, painfully breaking her will to live in the process.

According to everyone else, she moved to the city trying to start a new life and forget the chaotic-dreadful love life of hers, but the real reason she left was because she was _afraid._

The thought of facing Adam in one of his sadistic episodes terrified her to death, especially when the last time he'd beaten her to unconsciousness leaving her with a swollen mouth, three broken ribs, severely bruised and barely breathing.

But, this time, she found the courage to fight back and Adam did not leave the scene unharmed.

* * *

"Come on Kristen, have another shot!" Sophie yelled in her ear as she placed the tiny little glass on the palm of her hand. Kristen deliberated for a second, she didn't feel like drinking anymore, hell, she wasn't even drunk but her head kept spinning and her stomach churned on its own.

"Come on!" Sophie shook her gently by the shoulders and the rest of Sophie's friends cheered loudly and banged the table hard, encouraging her to take it. Kristen felt the pure-pressure and threw her tequila shot inside her mouth, closing her eyes and shutting out the world.

"YEAH BABY! THAT'S MY GIRL!" Sophie shouted as she kissed her on the cheek and swallowed her own shot.

Kristen kept her eyes closed a little longer and enjoyed the burning trail the tequila left on the back of her throat; the smoke from the person next to her saturated her nose and lungs once she took a deep breath. She continued to feel like shit, but still, a small ounce of hope vaguely flickered inside her mind saying she will be able to pull through this nightmare and maybe even live a 'normal-crappy life' like everybody else.

_Yeah, right_ she sighed to herself. Angry tears filled the inside of her lids and fought with all her might to keep them from flowing freely. Her face was sort of composed once she opened them.

"Hey girl, don't go all mopey on me, ok? I told you I would show you a hell of a good time and I will keep my promise. Now drink!" Sophie ordered her friend while shoving another tequila shot over Kristen's lips, forcing her to swallow it down.

"Shit –cough, cough- Sophie!!!" she protested loudly and the brunette hugged her by the shoulders, laughing darkly.

"Come on Kristen, don't be such a tight-ass" Sophie rolled her eyes at the annoyed expression on her friend. "_I _ remember back when we were in college, you used to be all wild and crazy… _what the hell happened to you_?!"

"That was a long time ago Sophia" her tone grew a little bitter.

"That was _two years ago_" she stated "And, I've told you to NEVER CALL ME SOPHIA!" her eyes burned at the mention of the forbidden name. Kristen smiled at her, knowing she stroked a nerve, hard, but didn't seem to care enough to make her feel the need to apologize for it.

_She'd asked for it__, _she shrugged internally. "Ill keep that in mind next time, when you stop being a pushy-manipulative bitch" Kris smiled slightly at her friend who continued to glare with piercing green eyes.

"Fine. I'm sorry Soph, but you did ask for it" she smiled sheepishly when sudden wave of guilt filled her insides. Her friend was indeed trying to show her a good time and here she was, being all goody-goody two-shoes.

_I've had it! I want out!_

"But you are right, I am being a tight-ass" she sighed, throwing her an apologizing look that quickly turned into a darker one.

Without hesitating, Kristen took a tequila shot that belonged to Math, one of Sophie's friends, and shoved it into her system like there was no tomorrow. Sophie smiled once she saw Kris' effort to get back into the mellowing groove.

"And now…" she shook the burning sensation off "let's remember the old times!" Kristen yelled at the top of her lungs, feeling the tingly effect of alcohol run in her veins. Her stiff body loosened once she got up, taking Sophie by the hands and both of them made way to join the dancing crowd.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about!" Sophia danced away on her five inch stilettos rearranging her way-too-short animal print miniskirt and shaking her sleek dark hair from one side to the other following the beat.

The guys on the next table began shouting and whistling as both of them began to gracefully dance. Kristen took of her shoes and threw them under their table so she could dance better.

She had forgotten how free she felt whenever her body swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the music. She closed her eyes and let the raving tune swallow her whole into a deep trance. Her reddish curls were all over her face, her lips slightly opened, a small smile in them as she enjoyed the electricity that rippled through her skin.

"Hey there, baby!" she felt a soapy finger run down the bare skin of her shoulder, making her stop the hectic movement and pop her eyes opened. She didn't like to be touched like that_, by anyone._

"Mind if I join you?" a blond haired guy smiled, trying too hard to sound smooth and seductive. The booze on his breath made her want to throw up.

"Hey… I-I didn't see you there…" she muttered, instinctively taking a step back, leaving a space between them feeling utterly uncomfortable. The way he looked at her made her feel highly irritated.

"Oh, don't stop dancing" his blue eyes sparkled maliciously as he drank her all in "I love this song" he began to dance awkwardly around her, closing in as he moved.

Throwing an exasperated look to her friend that danced next to her, Kristen took another step back.

"Thirsty as hell, let's get some drinks" Sophie got in his way, grabbing Kris by the wrist and pulling her out of his reach. "Excuse us" she snapped and pushed past him. Both girls gracefully walked away leaving him gaping at them with a frustrated face.

"Thanks" Kris said grateful as they made it to the crammed bar.

"Don't mention it, hon. That bastard is all hands, believe me" she slightly clenched her teeth, eyeing him as he went back to his table. "He gropes you all he wants and doesn't even bother to pay for your drinks. A total prick"

The biting tone on Sophie's comment left Kris wondering if her friend somehow knew this guy, but didn't bother asking her, at least not right now; so she decided to drop it.

"Smooth move, Romeo!" One of the guys called out and there was a burst of laughter once he sat down, a frustrated scowl plastered on his face. "Another black stripe for the tiger". A loud bantering broke over his cheap attempt to pull a 'smooth pick-up line' whilst 'Romeo' continued to glare at the girls.

"I don't blame him for trying, though…" Sophie cocked her head to the side and gave a small chuckle. Kris rose a questioning brow at her statement.

"With that cheeky dress of yours…" she scanned her from head to toes "You look _hot_ as hell there, babe" and winked mischievously. Kristen rolled her eyes but smoothly tried to pull down her dress as much as she could, trying to cover a bit more of her long legs.

_Ugh! Why did I even agree on wearing this?_ She internally scowled at Sophie, making a small note to dispose of the garment once she was home.

"Here, drink this" a tall glass filled with red content was swiftly placed in her hands by her friend.

"What's this?" she eyed it before taking a sip, the taste was strongly of vodka.

"What do _you_ care?" Sophie scoffed "_drink it!"_ the brunette ordered. For a small, fragile looking person, she was rather authoritative.

"You wanna get me all wasted, don't you?" she took another swig from it. The question made Sophie laugh out loud.

"Yeah, sug. That's _exactly _what I'm aiming at…" her eyes flashed devilishly "Getting you drunk, hooking you up and getting you laid"

"Is getting laid all you ever think about?"

"Don't you?" she smiled innocently whilst placing a red cherry on her lips. She began playing with it using the tip of her tongue, catching the inevitable attention of two guys that were standing next to them, making them give out a couple of husky groans of appreciation once she licked it one last time, chewed on it and swallowed it down. The girl winked to the one who was closest to her.

"Ugh. You are so _low_, Soph" Kristen muffled a chortle.

"Aw, come on Evans! Don't tell me you _don't have it bad_" she tilted a little towards her direction, sounding skeptical.

"Actually, I don't" her tone came out rather defensively, causing Sophie to rise both eyebrows incredulously, a small smirk on her lips.

"And my sex life is none of your concern, thank-you-very-much. So back off you _nosy old hag_" she gave out a small nervous laugh before finishing her drink in one shot.

"What ever…" Sophie shrugged "but a vibrator does not compare to the real thing there honey, that's all I'm saying. So, suit yourself" she teased.

- - - - -

"I should get going, Soph" Kristen glanced at her watch and sighed a bit annoyed. _Was it really 3am?_

"What are you babbling about, Kristen? It's Friday night…"

"And I have a _job interview tomorrow at 10am_. I really doubt I'll be able to wake up sober and on time if I keep up at this rate"

"By any chance, does that job interview of yours involves taking care of a church and wearing a coif and a habit?" she mocked darkly.

Kris threw her an irritated glare.

"I'm just kidding, Evans" she laughed nonchalant and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Listen, there's this really kick-ass band performing in a few and I really want to listen to 'em. Just give me 15 minutes and we're out of here, I promise" Kris didn't say anything back, but continued to stare at her.

"We'll go home after the second song, you have my word" it sounded more like a plea than a suggestion.

"Oh, alright. But no more booze for me" she shook her head, which lightly began to spin. "I mean it, Green" she threatened.

"You are such a _nun, _you know that?" she scowled at her, breaking a smile. The redhead simply nodded once, her eyes falling on the empty glass in front of her, avoiding eye contact.

_A nun? Really? Oh, Sophie. Y__ou might be surprised, _Kristen thought bitterly as her insides recoiled. Her fingertips slightly traced across the inside of her left wrist, feeling the barely noticeable scar made by a blade on her latest attempt to put an end to her miserable life. There was an identical one on her right.

The images of that night a couple of months ago kept flashing in her head. _Next time I'll make sure I lock the freaking door first._ She clenched her teeth, a speck of irritation surging.

If it hadn't been for Chelsea -the girl who lived across the hall from her- walking in unexpectedly and finding her in the tub, bleeding herself to death, she might have actually gone away with suicide.

_Should have taken pills instead__. Much quicker, less messier, no drama _she noted to herself.

It was obvious that Chelsea heard Adam's burst on Kristen a couple of hours earlier and she was really anxious that this time he might have actually _killed her. _Once she heard Adam's car pull out of the lot at high speed, Chelsea went to check on Kristen. She knocked several times on the door of the small apartment but no one called back. Clearly Adam didn't bother to lock the door behind him, so she went inside, calling Kris' name loudly.

She heard the water running in the bathroom. She called out again, a chill ran down her spine after receiving no answer. Chelsea braced herself and opened the door in one quick movement, finding the limp body of Kristen Evans at the bottom of the blood-stained tub. Taking out her cell phone, she dialed for help and Evans was taken to the hospital immediately.

Barely knowing her neighbor, Chelsea stayed in the hospital room to look after her. It sadden her to know that the girl had no family members nor friends aware of the incident and she wanted to make sure that Adam didn't come within a thousand feet near her.

_He's done enough to this girl already._

When Kristen finally woke up after several hours of being dozed off, she found Chelsea sitting next to her bed. They just stared at each other for a long time, not saying a word. Kristen could see Chelsea's angst in her dark eyes and she wondered why this almost-stranger was there with her.

"Why?" she barely whispered to the pale girl in bed which color was completely gone; even her reddish curls looked faded.

"Because I can't do _this _anymore" her voice broke. Bitter tears spilled freely making her look away from the stranger that continued to contemplate her with a strange expression on her face.

"Then fight back!" she ordered fervently, placing her tanned hand softly on top of Kristen's. "_Find_ a reason and _fight back_"

These words made something inside her chest to jolt. Was it anger? Fear? She couldn't tell, but somehow, it was branded deeply in her soul and for the first time, she actually felt the need to do it.

"… _fight back" _she repeated to herself internally. Her long fingers were grasping tightly at the edge of the table where she sat, causing her knuckles to hurt slightly.

The sudden loud sound of the electric guitar caught her by surprise and made her eyes pop open; she became aware that her lashes were wet. She quickly brushed her cheek with her finger tips, hoping that Sophie hadn't noticed, and tilted her posture towards the left, giving her back to Sophia and the rest of the people in the table, just in case she broke down or something.

_I should really leave… _she closed her eyes again, taking a deep breath. She made up her mind and turned around to meet Sophie, who was eyeing her carefully.

"Soph…" she began but her voice was drowned away by the first lines of lyrics of the performing band.

_Enemy  
Familiar friend  
My beginning and my end  
Knowing truth  
Whispering lies  
And it hurts again...  
_

Kris snapped her face, irritated, towards the spot where the band played and began glowering angrily at the male singer who'd interrupted her previous intent of getting the hell away from there. But then, she felt herself freeze as the lyrics slightly began to sink in, making her insides recoil.

_  
_ _What I fear  
What I try  
The words I say and what I hide  
All the pain  
I want it to end  
But I want it again  
_

"You were going to say something, hon?" Sophie asked loudly at Kristen's ear, but the girl just shook her head, amidst in the tune. She swallowed once and returned to her earlier position.

She didn't understand why all of a sudden, her heart began to pick up once she heard his voice. There was definitively _something _about the huskiness in it. Warmth spread through her chest, travelling all the way to her navel.

She merely stared at him, not even sparing a glance to the rest of the band members. Only _him. _Hell! She wasn't checking him out or anything, she just… gaped at him, confused.

His voice slowly reeled her in.

_  
_ _And it finds me  
The fight inside is coursing through my veins  
And it's raging  
The fight inside is breaking me again_

"He's_ steaming hot_, aint he?" Sophie giggled in her ear again. "_That_ is the reason why I come here every Friday…" the brunette pointed her slender finger at the man with faded denim jeans and tight navy blue shirt. Kris merely nodded, not paying that much of attention to her friend's comment but shyly taking him in.

He was tall and well built, -it was inevitable not to notice his muscles under his shirt-. The biceps under his russet skin often bulged as he made the slightest movement whilst he walked around the stage. His dark straight hair was lazily fastened in a disarrayed shoulder-length ponytail where several strands hung loose across his face.

Kristen's eyes fixated on his exotic face. Dark, thick eyebrows pulled together, emphasizing the emotion of his tune. Squared jaw, chiseled cheekbones, full lips. He was indeed _gorgeous_. She slightly smiled to herself.

_It's still the same, pursuing pain,  
Isn't worth the light I've gained.  
We both know how this will end,  
But I do it again._

His rasping voice was full with emotion as he continued to sing. His closed eyes, the expression on his handsome face, the intensity of his stance, reflected all the _pain_ and agony he was going through as he poured his heart and soul into the song. Somehow, Kristen seemed to feel empathic towards him, because she knew exactly what he was talking –singing- about.

"Ugh! I just wish he would take his fucking shirt off!" Sophie complained again "Other guys do it!" Kris couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her friend's protest.

_Yeah, that would be quite a view. _She laughed to herself, actually imagining it.

"Do you know his name?" she blurted out before stooping herself.

"Hm, interested, are we?" Sophia asked mockingly. She placed her lips closer to Kris' ear so she could hear better. "They call him Jake as in Jacob. Fits him, right?"

_Jake._ She whispered his name only to herself, as if it was a precious secret she didn't want to share with anyone else. A small flutter in the inside of her stomach made her smile lightly.

And then, as if hearing his name called out loudly, his dark eyes popped open and tilted his head slightly towards Kristen's way. She caught her breath once their eyes met only for a brief second. She swallowed a loud gasp and fought as hard as she could to keep herself in place. It would have been quite comical seeing her jump out of her seat as if she'd just received a full electrical discharge. But that was _exactly _what she felt.

She looked away, heat spreading up her chest and cheeks.

_Am I blushing?_ She scoffed internally. _Oh, don't flatter yourself, Kristen. _She shook her head twice, as if clearing the first thought and realized that suddenly she felt utterly thirsty. Taking a sip of Sophie's drink –whom, by the way, threw her an 'AHA!' look- she allowed herself to peek at him through the edge of the small glass.

Another violent jolt shook her insides once she noticed that he continued to look back at her with the same intensity as the first time. Once again, she looked away, pretending to look for something inside her purse. She just couldn't hold his gaze. It was so strong, so… penetrating.

"Oh, he is _so _checking you out…"

"Hm… what?" she asked as if not aware of Sophie's comment and continued 'looking' through the contents of her purse. _What am I, seventeen? Why am I acting like this, nearly to the point of hyperventilation, just because some random guy looked over my shoulder? It's just stupid. _ She wasn't fooling anyone, especially herself, but the fact that he had that effect over her made her squirm in place.

"I said that HE is totally checking YOU out…" she repeated her first line and again, pointed towards the man that was making Kristen feel uneasy and drawn_._

And without even thinking of stopping herself, _she looked_. She couldn't help it. Sophia almost grabbed her by the face and made her turn towards him. Well, she might as well have, any ways. But this time, she didn't avoid his gaze.

Her heart began to thump melodically fast in her chest whilst a strong, static wave rippled trough the inside of her body. There were several emotions, she noted, that crossed his face as he silently 'connected' to her.

First, there was _confusion. _Then there was _curiosity _and last there was… _recognition?_

_Do I know him?_ she doubted for a second, her mind racing._ Does he know me? I don't think so… I would have remembered him… _

"Nonsense…" was all she could blurt out at her friend who was gaping at her highly entertained.

"Mm-hmm" Sophie mused, taking her drink from Kris' hand and finishing it.

Two more songs went by and neither of them looked away, 'hooked' on the same trance that made her head spin violently. She waited for him to wink or smile or give out some sort of 'guyish' signal to make her think that he was indeed _hitting on her_ but... nothing.

This was different.

His gaze held her as though he could see right into her very soul, read her mind, hear her heartbeats, taste her breath. In matter of seconds, everything around her ceased to exist except for him. For _Jake._

"... are you high or something? What the hell is wrong with you?" she felt being shaken rather hardly by the shoulders. She abruptly became aware that the music, _his music_, was gone and the ordinary pre-recorded tunes were hitting the speakers at a really high volume.

"Kristen?!" she snapped her fingers twice in front of her face, which cause her to glower back at her friend.

"What?"

"Exactly... WHAT?" she giggled darkly "You've been staring at the same point in space for the past five minutes as if your were fixated over it or something. I'm telling you... "

"I-I'm just tired" her eyes darted from one side to the other of the stage and then quickly around the area where she sat, but she didn't see him. She frowned internally. "I really should get going"

"Right. Just let me get my stuff and…" but the guy sitting next to Sophie, whose hands had been roaming around the edge of her skirt for the last 30 mins, whispered something to the brunette, nipped her in the ear and smiled seductively. She smiled back at him and then shook her head as if making up her mind.

"… have to go, I promised her that…" Kris heard Sophie say to him, her tone heartrending.

"Soph, It's ok" she placed her hand on her arm. The brunette stared back at her with big green 'I-hope-you-aren't-kidding' eyes.

_I don't want to be held responsible for ruining her steaming plans. _She winked.

"Are you sure? I mean…"

"I said it's cool. I'll take a cab or something. Don't worry"

Sophia closed in on her and hugged her tightly "Make him _beg_ for more, hon" she whispered darkly to her friend and kissed her in the cheek.

"I will" she smiled devilishly "Oh, and good luck with your interview. Talk to you in the afternoon, don't wait up for me"

"I won't" She waved goodbye to the rest of the people on the table and raked the pub with her eyes just in case she saw him again, but felt disappointed since he wasn't in sight.

She felt an urge to walk up to the bartender and ask if he knew the whereabouts of the band playing previously, but decided to drop it. _Ugh! Talk about a stupid stalking-groupie._ So, she walked out of the bar.

* * *

The streets were completely deserted and the fear that silence naturally inspires, was increased by the echo of the solid pattern made by her heels on the pavement. The lamp close by, flickered hesitantly, adding a more dramatic effect to the scene.

"Damn it! Should have called a cab" she cursed whilst hugging her jacket tighter around her thin frame, trying to keep herself warm. A gust of freezing wind gushed near her, making her teeth chatter slightly. She was only a couple of blocks from the apartment, so she picked up her pace. The sooner she got there, the better. All she could think about was a long hot shower, some aspirins and a couple of hours of sleep.

As she picked up the pace, she tried to push away her thoughts of _Jacob_.

_Only seen him once and I'm already thinking about him like an obsessed teen _she felt irritated with herself, but silently wished she would bump into him soon.

She made a turn and remembered that there was an alley in the next block, -she'd seen it on her way over to the pub-. Her first reaction was to cross the street to avoid it, and then walk back again to continue her way home. There's always something about dark alleys.

'_Keep as far away from them' _ her mother's voice rang in her ears, and in some way, the voice was right; you never knew what kind of things await for you in them.

As she closed in, her footsteps got washed away by several jumbled-gruff voices and something close to an animal's snarl. Her heart picked up quickly and even though her brain screamed to walk away, something deep inside her –instinct maybe or pure idiocy- made her decide not to stop.

Liquid courage ran through her veins, whilst her ears kept ringing with the pulses of her heartbeat. It was until she finally made it to the edge of the alley when the sounds of a _fight_ finally registered in her brain. Someone was viciously getting the _shit _beaten out of 'em.

"… I know you are just _dying_ to!" the heated voice yelled and there was sound of a fist hitting flesh and a muffled-guttural groan of pain. "So, _why the fuck_ go through all this trouble, huh?"

More violent punches were followed by angry growls that couldn't possibly be human.

It took several seconds for her eyes to focus in the dark depths of the alley so she could properly see what was happening. But when they did, she froze in place as she recognized _**who**_ was receiving the beat.

'_No'_ she swallowed her gasp.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight Saga or any Twilight Saga's characters for that matter. All of them are creation of Stephanie Meyer. The amazing song used and inspired the chapter are property of one of my favorite bands ever: RED. No copyright infringement intended.

The plot, Kristen Evans and the rest of the characters are of my creation.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry to leave you in a 'cliff' like that, it's just that this chapter came out quite long, so I decided to chop it in half instead ;)

I really hope you're liking the story so far. All will be revealed in due time, but all you gotta do to make me happy and want to upload the next chapter is: **Review!!! :D**

**Oh, and Serendipity will be updated shortly *pinky promise***


	3. Edge

**A/N: **Dear reader, i just want to clear something up before you start reading this chapter *takes a deep breath* I have **nothing against** any of The Quileute Pack memebers, so please don't get me wrong. There is a perfectly good explanation to why **all of them** act the way they do (you'll just have to read the following chapters to find out) :D Please give me a chance *winks* Ok, so with **that **out of the way, enjoy!

* * *

**Breathe your life into me**

2. Edge

-Knocked off my feet, the earth moved beneath  
the edge of a dream and a nightmare…- RED

* * *

Keeping herself unseen, Kristen thought of taking out her cell phone and calling the Police for help.

_Yeah, like they'll get here quick__ly enough!_ the voice at the back of her head scoffed annoyed; still, even if she would've wanted to proceed with the dubious plan, she couldn't make herself move. With her back against the wall and her senses becoming _alert,_ she waited… even though she wasn't completely sure what she was waiting for.

Cautiously, she peered through the corner of the concrete wall, holding her breath… she knew too damned well it wasn't safe for her to linger around. Getting caught would probably mean suffering a similar fate to the one receiving the beat… or something much, much worse.

Fighting a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold, she pushed the thoughts away and focused on what she needed to do.

_Run, you idiot! RUN!_Her instincts screeched but she just couldn't leave him like this…

Her amber eyes darkened as the violent scene set before her progressed.

"This could be so much easier, Black…" the tall-framed man wearing an auburn shirt sneered. A panting figure – which was tightly restrained in a chokehold maneuver by another built man- growled back angrily but didn't say a word.

"… oh, you just _love_ being so dramatic about everything now, don't you?" the first man continued to press on with such a vicious voice that Kristen's insides churned in loathing; she didn't even know the bastard but she hated him nonetheless.

A blistering wave of anger began to fill her, making small tremors slither slowly over her frozen body.

The man in the auburn shirt walked out of Kristen's range of view, revealing a clear sight of the one who continued to trash in place. She felt herself catch her breath in terror once her eyes became fixed upon Jacob's faintly mauled face. A thick thread of blood trickled down slowly from a cut just above the dark eyebrow, setting a crimson trail over the left side his russet cheekbone.

The combination of blood and sweat made several strands of dark hair stick to his furious face; Kristen saw Jacob's eyes flash seething at the man who paced nonchalantly in front of him, the dark smile growing even wider with each step. She internally wished that Black would finally break free from the bastard who held him and bash the teeth of the idiot that continued to taunt him; fuck, for all she cared, Jacob could smash his jaw and shatter his bones in tiny little pieces while at it.

_Would serve him right! _Her hands balled into fists.

"_Come on_…" he came back to view, standing right in front of Jacob whilst lifting his palms up in the air "you are making me waste my time here" his voice was in a sickening attempt of pleasantry.

The girl grinded her teeth in anger as her heartbeat began to pick up; it was like the bastard was shocking an already enraged animal with a _taser-gun_ and fully enjoying the agony of it.

_You fucking __ piece of…_ But something distracted her.

The sputtering light coming from a lamp not far continued to tease the darkened alley with its uneven flickers, keeping most of the_ situation_ –if you could call it that- under the purplish shadows of the freezing night. But only for a couple of seconds, the wavering beam lit up exactly the place where the fight continued, catching Kristen's attention and making her focus completely on the aggressor, taking in several strange details she had obviously missed before.

He was _shirtless._

It slowly registered in her mind that what she assumed to be a long-sleeve auburn shirt was in fact the color of his bare skin; this finding caused her to morbidly wonder on _why the hell was he wearing a pair of cut-off jeans and nothing more_ -especially when the low temperature continued to drop quickly-.

_What's wrong with this guy? Is__ he insane? _The girl's eyes squinted.

Her shocked gaze travelled up and down his exposed upper body, gaping at the toned muscles that bulged freely with his slightest movement –he was definitively strong and solid- she felt herself gulp at the thought, a hint of fear crawling up her back. But the thing that made this discovery a bit more uncanny was that he was also barefoot and… didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that the floor was probably frozen.

_Ok, this is way too weird for me… __**who is this bastard? **_

"Come now, don't you think this is hard for me? I assure you that if there was _another way_, I would do it Jake, but…" he shrugged.

"I will have to disagree with you there…" there was a humorless chuckle coming from Jacob's bloody lips "I think you are enjoying this a _bit too much_, Paul"

"Ah, but _brother_…" the sarcasm in his voice only made Kristen's anger worsen. "I'm doing this as _a favor to you_" he took another step towards Black, closing the space between them.

"You see… there's a lesson in all this. _For all of us_" The man known as Paul barked a laugh as he motioned his hand slightly around, probably referring to others Kristen couldn't see.

"And what would that be?" Black snarled from his clenched teeth, his heart thudding aggressively against his burning ribcage. He was aware that remaining under control was crucial, otherwise it would mean a_** slip**_ and, well… lets just say that it would give the group of bastards what they were fervently searching for.

_N__o mistakes, no mistakes... _Jacob's mind repeated over and over, trying to hold on to what was left of his scarcely-brittle self control but he was sure that if Paul continued pushing his buttons like that, he would eventually snap… he knew too well_ what _made him tick. Black prayed internally that he wouldn't dare go _that far._

_He better not! Not__ if he wants to stay alive!_ Jacob clenched his jaw even tighter, grinding his teeth whilst pushing the hatred images out of his mind.

_Control. Control. No mistakes._

Paul took one last step, almost coming face to face with Black; there was another snarl erupting from the dark alley, not as deep as the first one, but nonetheless it made Kris cringe. "Apparently, you aren't as sharp as you were before, Jacob. And to think that you _almost_ became the Alpha…" he spat in disgust, his frame quivering.

"Fuck off!" Black shouted back, feeling the monster desperately tearing inside of him, demanding to be released. He wanted so badly to lunge himself at the fucking bastard, to rip his skin apart, limb by limb, to… _No! I won't do this. _

_Never __again. _His chest trembled against unspoken words whilst focusing on his breathing. _Never…_

"Ah, but you see? I can't leave yet. I have to deliver Sam's message to you" Paul gave a small pleased smile as he balled his huge hands into tight fists.

"YOU CAN'T … – he suddenly swung a punch that collided with Jacob's stomach; a suffocated groan escaping-… IGNORE –a vicious jab went directly to the kidney; the last remain of oxygen swooshing out of his mouth-… WHAT YOU ARE! –the last punch hit his nose, the cracking noise made Kristen recoil in empathic pain.

A ferocious growl tore itself from Jacob's throat; he could feel his muscles sweltering under his skin whilst his entire frame shuddered brutally. The metallic taste of his own blood made his ragged panting and enraged quivering grow out of control. He could feel it in his being… _he was loosing himself to it;_ it was a matter of seconds before he would oblige to the need that was boiling him whole.

God, he wanted to yield, to be set free, his insides craved for it. _Just a few seconds to wipe out his fucking grin away from his face, it's all I ask! _

The beast inside Jacob trashed with all its might, searching for a second of doubt to take advantage and burst free; but Black's will –that was dangerously dangling by a thin thread- was slightly stronger than he thought, allowing him to hold on and not succumb to his animalistic impulses.

"_There it is, I can see it in your eyes_…" Paul hissed, pleased at the sight "Come on Black, let the animal have some fun" his teeth glistened against his sadistic grin.

"PAUL! I-It sh-shouldn't be like this" a younger voice stuttered from within the darkness. Kristen hadn't notice that there were two other guys standing close; they weren't participating in the beating but they weren't putting an end to it either.

"Sam said that we just had to…" a tall figure came to view; he seemed way younger than the others. He too was shirtless and barefoot, with cropped hair and coppery skin. An anxious expression crossed on the boy's face as he took a hesitant step towards Paul, slowly lifting his hand as if trying to… stop him?

"Shut up the fuck off, SETH!" he shouted back at him, his tone highly authoritative, making the boy freeze on his tracks. "Let's just see how much he can take until he finally bursts!" he sneered back, his eyes fixed on Black's irate face.

"Come on Jake…" Seth was pleading now, staring deeply into Jacob's eyes. "Just… Just come with us" The boy's pained words left Kristen wondering if he actually felt concerned for the man _his pals on steroids _were beating up.

"I'm not going back!" he spat through his teeth –the tone wasn't hostile towards the boy, it was more like highly irritated; it gave her the impression that he had repeated himself _more than once_-.

"Jake, just …"

"I said NO, Seth!" he snapped drily and the boy hung his head in defeat; Seth let out a frustrated growl, walked back to the darkness and waited in silence next to the other shape whose face Kristen couldn't see.

Jacob used this second of distraction to his advantage and sucked up a deep breath through his mouth –his nose was bleeding so badly that it made it hard for him to breathe properly-. A warm scent of lavender and jasmine lingering in the cool air set swiftly in the tip of his tongue; it felt in some way… oddly _familiar._

He closed his eyes for a moment –ignoring the turmoil going inside and around him- and savored the exquisite flavor that prickled in the inside of his mouth; slowly, as if afraid it would disappear, he swallowed it down, memorizing each detail of it. The strange perfume began to wash away all the waves of anger that shook him at will, soothing the hostile fiend back into the pit of his dark self and recovering a bit of his sense.

"You act like such a _tough shit_ when your opponent is being held by your bodyguard" Jacob opened his eyes, his voice coming out calmer than expected, making Paul cock a brow in surprise. "Why don't you tell Jared to release me and see where it goes from there, huh?" he smiled threateningly.

"You would love that, now, wouldn't you?" Paul trembled again in anticipation. This was exactly what he was looking for.

"More than you can imagine" he hissed back through his set jaw.

Paul gave a quiet-sarcastic laugh "Don't get me wrong, Black. I aint here to cause any trouble" he held his hands up in the air again. "I'm just a messenger delivering an offer you just can't refuse"

"Tell Sam that I say to FUCK OFF! I'm not interested…"

"Such a potty-mouth. Ah, but you see, that just_ wont_ work for me…" he complained mockingly. "Well, it's a good thing we have _all the time in the world_, Black. And, while you change your mind, I'm just going to have to re-educate you again…" he raised his balled fist and punched Jacob hard on his jaw "This will teach you not to turn on your pack!"

_That's it!__! I've seen enough!_ Kristen was seething now.

Her whole body quivered almost as badly as theirs -only in her case, it was a violent charge of energy mixed with waves of rage- The brutal ringing in her ears was making her nauseous and the heart rate was reaching a highly dangerous limit -but she ignored it altogether- all she wanted to do was liberate Jacob from the others and inflict as much pain as she possibly could on Paul.

Not thinking straight, her instincts kicked in and took hold on her actions; and before she could stop herself, Kristen walked into plain view.

"Let him go, _**you fucking worthless piece of shit!**_" Her hands were in a clawing position, slightly bending her knees and bracing herself for whatever reaction they would have.

Paul and Jared –the man who held Jacob- immediately turned to face her, both their expressions surprised, but only Paul's turned into a horrifying wolfish smile a second later.

"Who the hell is that?" Jared eyes fell on the trembling girl.

Jacob's eyes immediately locked into hers, his expression turned from surprised to confusion and finally to anxiety.

_**No!**_He finally recognized her; he recognized the scent… it was _her scent_.

_**What the hell is she DOING HERE**__**? What is she thinking…?**_Jacob suddenly became horrified; he knew Paul too well, he wouldn't keep under control… he could harm her. Black couldn't afford getting others involved, especially innocents.

As if getting fully shocked by an electrical current, Jacob began trashing with all his strength against Jared's solid grip; he was desperately trying to break free from it. _**I have to get her out of here! **_

_**STUPID GIRL!**__**! IS SHE TRYING TO GET HERSELF KILLED? **_

"Aw, I think you got yourself a fan, Black" Paul laughed quietly not taking his eyes of Kristen.

"Something like that, you dick!" she muttered to herself.

"Didn't you hear me!" her voice louder now "LET HIM GO! _NOW_!" she took another step, her knees wobbling slightly, but she kept her stance smooth.

"Oh, really?" Paul cocked his dark brow to the threat. "Or else what, _bitch_?" he straightening up, looking even bigger, stronger and scarier than before "You gonna _pepper-spray me to death_ or you just gonna use some _cheesy self-defense moves on me_? I'd like to see that"

Kristen swallowed loudly at his intimidating frame but she didn't retrieve.

"I wont say it again…" she growled, talking a lot braver than she really felt.

"All you need to do is ask nicely…" he moved one step forward, his handsome face turning even darker "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this so much" he licked his lips maliciously.

"LEAVE HER ALONE, PAUL! SHE HAS **NOTHING** TO DO WITH THIS!" Jacob's furious shout echoed through the alley.

"Oh, but I disagree, Black. She seems to be interested in you… so, yeah, I think she does" Paul called back, noticing the panicked change in Jacob's tone.

The threatening growl shook Jacob's chest as the violent trashing increased even more. Jared began to worry once he noticed that Black was not far from achieving his goal; his fingers were giving in and he couldn't hold Jacob much longer.

"Uh, Paul?" but Jared's whisper was drowned away by Jacob's irate snarling.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

"Tsk, tsk, bro! Where is that _incredible self-control of yours you just shocked us with a few seconds ago?"_ Paul called back to Jacob, still looking at Kristen with wild eyes. "Don't worry, I'm just going to teach her some manners, that's all. It will be fun…"

"Get out of here…" Black whispered inaudibly, hoping the girl would hear him and run away. But something told him that she wouldn't leave even if he shouted these same words straight to her face. There was something about her…

"Manners, huh? Ok, then…" the girl's voice came out rather strangled -she was barely _hanging on_, the strength of the waves invading her were too much- Kristen's dark amber gaze was deeply focused on Paul who continued to taunt her with his mocking smirk; he seemed to be interested at the eerie sight of her trembling figure.

"_Please_" the word left her reddish lips in a defeated gush of air, _slipping far from the __**edge**__ of her self control_; a strange expression crossed Paul's face when Kristen's eyes flashed brightly before turning into a cold shade of gray.

And then… she let herself go.

Kristen's slim fingers brushed the cold air slightly; she could actually _touch _the wave of static surrounding her. With a smooth flick of her index finger, a couple of concrete blocks that were lying in the floor close by, became suspended in mid air and then swooshed in a blur straight at Paul's face.

"What the fuck…? He yelled while dodging the speeding objects before they smashed against him; the loud thuds against the wall behind him boomed a second later.

"Bitch…" Paul snarled back at her, but she was already repeating the previous flick, only this time, the gray garbage container began to quiver, lifting itself from the ground; she was about to send it trough the air when a slight movement in the darkness caught her attention.

"EMBRY, LEAVE HER ALONE!" Jacob's shout alerted Kristen while trashing even harder under Jared's hold. He could tell he was almost free.

"… no you don't!" her left hand was held up high and a second later, the man who was running towards her –the same one who'd been standing next to Seth all through the fight- was barricaded by several trashcans that whooshed at high speed. There was a loud groan followed by a couple of hard thuds on the floor.

_Gotcha!_

Kristen had been careful enough to avoid hitting the young boy who remained motionless, his eyes wide, staring back at her. Seth's lips twitched slightly at what he'd seen, but didn't say a word.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Embry hissed before standing up.

"CALL, _SHE'S MINE_!" Paul snarl thundered the darkness as he ran towards her.

"Don't think so…" and she sent the heavy container lose, speeding straight forward in his direction.

Then, two things happened simultaneously. The weighty artifact collided against Paul's frame with a dry thud, slamming him hard against the wall and causing him to lose focus for a couple of seconds. Jacob finally managed to crack himself free –Jared's fingers were almost ripped off in the process- and fought Jared off while he tried to seize him again. Once Jacob was sure that Jared wouldn't get up in the following minutes, he ran into Paul's direction only to find the place empty, Paul had already gotten up and blended into the shadows. He was no where in sight.

Jacob closed his eyes and let his senses take hold. He was trying to locate Paul's scent, but before he could…

"Embry! Wait, man!…" Seth's voice called loudly after swift steps through the dark corridor.

"CALL…" Black shouted along Seth.

Based on pure instinct, Kristen's hands moved quickly now, her eyes unable to focus on the specific target but after two attempts, she finally caused Embry to trip and rocket far from where she stood. She felt her frail body sway as her heartbeat hammered furiously fast against her heaving ribcage –her heart couldn't take this much longer- she thought through the insane ringing in her ears. She took in sharp breath and tried to blink the haziness away from her sight, shaking her head several times quite hard.

"Hey, what's wr-… are you …?-"

"Behind you…!" she cut off Jacob's worried question as Paul leapt out of nowhere –he was too distracted with Kristen to feel Paul presence- and punched him hard against the ribs, several cracking sounds lingering in the air; as soon as Black was on the floor, Paul began kicking him viciously on the stomach or any other part that was exposed.

"Jared, _get her!" _Paul hissed angrily as Jacob managed to grab hold on his kicking leg and grappled him all the way to the ground; a couple of seconds later, it was Jacob who was doing the beating.

"Aw, Shit!" she cussed out of breath.

_R__un, run, RUN! _

Disoriented as she was, Kristen began to run from the enormous male who was chasing after her. She cussed angrily at the damned stilettos Sophie made her wear tonight –it was suicidal to try and scamper out of this deadly situation in high heels-; oh, she would SO scowl at her friend later but… she had to survive this bizarre night first.

Several objects crashed deafeningly behind her while both her hands moved in haste; when she heard a loud grunt, Kristen took it as a sign that the idiot running not far from her clearly got hit and risked stopping for just a second to kick the hatred stilettos off.

_I__'ll deal with Sophie and her lethal tirades later!_

Once free from the life-threatening objects, she began running as fast as she could, completely barefoot over the frozen pavement.

_Hold on, just hold on… _the burning in her chest was excruciating, making it difficult for her to breathe. She kept running for dear life, but the numbness of her bare feet mixed up with lack of oxygen caused her to lose speed; the ground under her feet moved to and fro, getting her dizzy and unsteady. While trying to concentrate on where she was running to, Kristen suddenly tripped over her own feet and braced herself for the inevitable crash that was surely to follow.

But strangely… the crash never came.

"You ain't that fast, are you?" there was a scornful laugh booming in her ears as blistering fingers closed around her thin wrist tightly, avoiding her to fall; she immediately felt her skin burn and bruise under the pressure of Jared's hold.

"Let go…" she hissed, trying to break lose from his hold, her reddish curls on her seething face. The sight amused him. He held both her feeble wrists with his massive hand now, showing off his dominance over her.

"Now, why would I do that?" he snickered, pulling the girl closer to him. "You are such a pretty little thing…" his eyes swept up and down her shuddering body, lingering on her long legs that were barely covered by the dark fabric of her dress. There was a twisted smile spreading on his brown lips.

Kristen felt herself squirm away from Jared's scorching breath, away from the unnatural heat irradiating from his enormous frame; _it was completely suffocating her._ Writhing against his grip again, she swallowed a pained groan while Jared's fingers constricted even tighter around her.

"You'll stop that if you know what's good for ya"

"_JARED!_ TAKE YOUR FUCKING HANDS_** OFF**_ HER!" The enraged growl thundered loudly in her ears and before she made out what was happening, Jared was _soaring through the air _and crashing violently against a truck that was four feet across from them.

Bewildered and lightheaded, she swayed in place; her hands instinctively trying to clutch on to something solid and avoid smacking against the ground; Kristen felt surprised as her entire body –hands first- collided against a tall quivering structure that suddenly materialized out of thin air.

"I'll get you out of here…" the husky voice came out in short livid breaths. _"Just, stay put!" _

The girl pulled her hands back, ready to run the opposite way; but as soon as she recognized Jacob's hoarse voice, her terrified trembling got washed away by a tangible wave of relief.

_Jake. _She thought to herself whilst her wild heart lurched pleased. And there was this unusual heat again, it was radiating from his auburn skin and trough the fabric of his shirt; but instead of flinching away from it –like the previous time with Jared-, she allowed it to embrace her completely and soothe the frozen skin that was close to getting hypothermia.

She breathed out in relief, her eyes travelled up the muscular back that towered over her; the protective stance of this man was so overwhelming, so _territorial_, that the girl barely managed to whisper in agreement, fighting a slight smile that dared spread across her flushed lips.

_This is __definitively not a good time to be smiling… _the internal voice scowled at her.

But, she couldn't help it; it was amazing how quickly Jacob's presence made her feel protected, safe. It was rather stupid to even consider thinking this out loud –which she wouldn't- but somehow she _knew _that nothing could harm her as long as HE was near.

The elaborated breathing and her speeding heart rate slowed almost to normal, allowing the oxygen to fill her lungs properly and focus on what was going on.

"Well, well, well. What the hell do we have here?" there was mocking laugh that sounded really close.

Kristen peeked through the small gap made by Jacob's extended arms -which were still in a shielding manner- and her heart almost flew out of her chest as soon as she saw Paul standing along with the others, just a few steps from them.

She didn't remember hearing them approach; there had been absolutely no sound except for the one made by her breathing.

_Creepy._

They suddenly reminded her of shadows… _silent, quick, sneaky._

"'S she your protectee, now Black?" Paul's lips curled back.

"**Stay back…"**Jacob's hostile snarl rumbled strongly inside Kristen's chest; it felt as if she was standing inside a hollow cave next to an infuriated beast. The sound was so strong, so penetrating, that it made her cringe once more, her nails digging into the flesh of her balled fists.

"Who's gonna make me? _You?"_ Paul took another step ahead and slightly shifted his weight; the threat in his stance made it clear that there would be no hesitation if decided to launching himself forward.

Taking in his perceptible move, all of them -including Jacob- readjusted their position.

The bare-chested men crouched slightly in unison–except for Seth, who remained all the way in the back, his hands limp on each side, showing no hostility towards Black or the girl- but as for the others, their hands were fisted and they appeared to be waiting for the signal to attack -. _This reaction _reminded Kristen of a pack of deadly trained canines; you know, the ones used to assault criminals and such…- and while suppressing another shudder, she silently begged that the _key word for attacking _would never leave Paul's lips.

Jacob, on the other hand, seemed to have grown impossibly larger; his right arm curved protectively around the frail girl's waist, shielding her behind him, though she continued to peer over his side. He was extremely careful not to linger his skin on hers. The burning in his limbs was a sign that he was really _close_… he couldn't afford having the girl clinging to his arm while all this was going on; it was crucial to leave some space between them just in case _it _became uncontainable and had to get away.

_Control. Control. No mistakes._

_She is too close. _He swallowed hard and focused on Paul.

Once again, Kristen braced herself for the fight that was obviously coming, though she wasn't sure if this time she could manage to pull it through; she was completely exhausted. Her knees wobbled slightly, but she sucked it up, hoping it wouldn't give her away. She tried to concentrate on building up the static fence around her, but all she felt were weak specks of it…

_No use. I'm too weak. _She grinded her teeth.

But then, Seth's stern voice broke the tense silence with quick and runny words; Kristen felt baffled by what she thought she'd heard…

_Did he just say something? _She hadn't gotten any of that. For a split second she thought that she'd imagined it all; but before she allowed herself to speculate even further, Jared spoke back to Seth in the same strange-fluid way, but his tone was more annoyed than anything, causing her to cock her brow in confusion.

There it was again.

Paul snapped back at them angrily in this foreign dialect –_a dialect,_ it was all Kristen could make out of it- and a second later, their dark eyes were set on her half hidden face. Intuition told her that whatever they were saying, somehow involved her; well, _that_ and the fact that they continued to gawk at her as if she was some sort of freak.

She shook under their stare.

'_Who are these guys?'_ fear creeping up on her.

"_No" _Jacob said dryly _"Can't you smell her?" _his exasperated question puzzled her even more.

_SMELL HER!__? What the hell is that…? _She began, but was cut off.

"Mmm…" Embry took a long whiff at the air, his eyes closing whilst doing so "Well, _she sure as hell smells good to me_" his smile grew even darker as Jacob quivered angrily, the vicious snarling rumbled in his chest again.

"Well, what ever you are… you've just crossed the line little girl" Paul snarled back at Kristen, his perfect white teeth bearing in threat. "Don't matter if you aint a _leech_" he spat repulsively.

_Leech? Is that supposed to mean something?_ It didn't make any sense to her.

Kristen got so lost in the last thing she'd heard, that her mind didn't register what Jacob had said or what his words had caused. All she _felt _was being pushed back in a quick/strong movement –she tried to regain her balance while stumbling backwards- and then the cold wrapped her up completely.

Jacob had left her side and was now two inches apart from Paul; tremors out of control, making a blur out of both of them. They were about to go at each other's throats once again when…

"_Paul!_" someone shouted from not that far. Kristen was the only one who looked towards the path where the sound came from; everyone else seemed unaware by the interjection. She saw Embry suddenly popping out of the nearest corner and breaking into an effortless run towards them "… _we gotta go_".

_When did he leave? _She blinked confused.

"Paul!" Embry was next to him now, placing a huge hand on Paul's massive shoulder and yanking him backwards, hard; the warningly growl that came through Paul's lips was slightly louder than the usual deafening snarls.

"_It's Sam. We. Got. To. GO." _Embry voice was now authoritative.

The others shifted their weight uneasily at the mention of Sam's name; a strange expression crossed all their faces while straightening up and staring back at Paul, waiting. To Kristen's surprise, Paul took another step back and broke his dominant stance.

Jacob's eyes remained fixed on Paul's murderous glare. _Go ahead; run off to your leader. Go and see what he wants._

"THIS isn't over BLACK" Paul clenched his teeth as he took three more steps back, the others equaling his strides. "… and _YOU_, you will be sorry about this!" his eyes flashed lethally at the shaken girl. A gulp got stuck in the back of her throat.

And as quickly as they came, they disappeared into the night. A few more blinks and she would have missed them completely as they blended in with the shadows of the deserted street.

Her eyes lingered slightly on the place where they'd gone; confusion, fear and anger churning wildly in the pit of her stomach. _What the fuck was that all about? What did just happen?_ Haze filled her view, her thoughts… this was the most bizarre experience ever –and she'd been through pretty messed up shit-

It was clear that she'd gotten herself involved in something… and this something was _big._ Kristen knew that _this _was simply the beginning of it and there was no way of getting out, at least not unharmed.

_Great, just wha__t I needed. More shitty problems! _She cussed angrily, her weak hand scratching her forehead and pinching the bridge of her nose, annoyed and frustrated.

The man rooted in place just a few steps away, broke his stance as he heard the girl's exasperated sigh. He slowly turned to face her – his expression hard- all of him still on alert mode just in case any of them dared to return.

He felt his lips open slightly, meaning to ask her if she was alright, but closed them a second later only allowing air to flow through them and nothing more. _How could she possibly be alright after all of this? _ Setting his jaw and pulling his brows, he continued to stare back at the girl who seemed determined to avoid his eyes.

Without thinking, he took a small step towards her – but froze in place as soon as Kristen's body stiffened at the movement- her amber eyes darkening slightly… in caution.

_**Wait**__. _He pleaded internally, cringing at her reaction. The last thing he needed was for the girl to run off… it wasn't safe while_ they_ were still around; he needed to keep her in his sight. At least until he was completely sure that Paul or any of the others wouldn't come back looking for her…

_I won't let them near you. _He promised in silence.

Jacob's dark eyes finally made way to Kristen's, locking into them like a physical embrace… it was so _intense_ that it made her squirm slightly abashed but she never dared to look away. The magnetic pull irradiating from his gaze made her suck in a sharp breath, holding it inside her lungs until it burned. The seconds ticked by and none of them blinked –not even once- afraid that if they did such a thing,the other one would simply vanish.

Loosing herself in him, she shivered under his stare –swallowing a soft gasp-.

_**Who are you?**_

_**

* * *

**_

**A/N: ****So, what do you think? Good? Sucks? Nothing at all?**

Sorry it has taken me so long to update; I've been meaning to do it sooner but work and school have gotten the better of me *sighs annoyed* I will try, though.

**Yes, Paul and Jacob have several issues (in case you haven't noticed)** Something happened that made Paul simply loathe Black... hmmm? wonder what could that be? YOU"LL JUST HAVE TO READ MORE!**  
**

Thank you so much for your time. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it x) I'm loving this story so much… and it's barely the beginning of it *smiles pleased*

**YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS MAKE MY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS WORTHWHILE! You guys rock my world.**** Please Please Please Review! **

**Oh, and chapter 17****th**** of Serendipity will be updated shortly *pinky promise* *hugs you***


	4. Lost in you

**A/N****: Hey there guys! My most sincere apologies for keeping you waiting almost a month for an update; I've received several complaints on my sluggish writing *sighs annoyed with self* but to be completely honest with you: work and rehearsals are literally squeezing the life out of me *sight blurs* *begins to swoon* The good thing is that summer is on its way, so… hopefully I will have a bit more time (and energy) to spare **** increasing the possibility of speeding up my chapters *smiles* Thank you so much for your patience and encouraging words. And now, enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

**Breathe your life into me**

3. **Lost in you**

- You lead me deeper through this maze  
but this time, I'm not afraid…- RED

* * *

Several states of emotion crossed quickly through Jacob's mind as the _scent of lavender and jasmine_ saturated his already recovered nose. Overlooking the excitement caused by the strange creature that had seized his gaze, he forced himself to hold his breath in order to think straight –her scent was growing strong, quickly causing him to fall into a inebriated mist- and he just couldn't allow that… _not if he had a say in it first._

After the turmoil of feelings had ravished him whole- _anger finally _settled in.

"_**Are you out of your**__** mind? WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING BACK THERE?"**_ he snapped at her, the fury rising up higher with each word that left his scowling lips.

It maddened him that the girl couldn't grasp the danger she had willingly exposed herself to just few minutes ago. He saw her give a tiny shake in response to the fury of his voice.

"What?" her amber eyes grew confused.

Clearly it wasn't a question she'd been expecting –congratulations weren't in order either but at least an 'are you alright' might have done the trick-. She stared dumbfounded at his livid expression for a few seconds.

_I don't und-…_Blinking twice, she opened her mouth to express her puzzlement but since she couldn't make the words come out, she closed it again. Crimson violently claimed the fair skin of her cheeks and ears -she was practically glowing in the darkness-. Jacob kept his face smooth, though the sight of her made him feel a bit… guilty?

"_I-I was he-h__elping you"_ Kristen stuttered faintly, she didn't quite get why he was so upset. But as she processed her own words, the feeling of bewilderment got quickly overthrown by irritation.

"You're welcome by the way…" her eyes squinted._ Why is he mad at me for?_

They locked gazes, black over amber and remained silent for a second -anger creeping up on both of them-. He noticed her slender frame began to quiver under the thin jacket that barely covered her cold skin; for a second, Jacob wondered if the reason why she shook was because of the chilly gush of air that kept harassing them both but he knew better. Cold had NOTHING to do with it.

Then he became aware of his own tremors.

_Calm down! _He reminded himself. The previous encounter with Paul and the rest of the _pack _–as they once called themselves- had left him unstable and he couldn't afford a slip with her standing _this _close. _You can't lose your cool like this. She's way too near… You might hurt her._ He sucked a large breath of air through his teeth, but her fragrance saturated the inside of his nose, making it hard for him to concentrate on what he was doing.

Kristen stared curiously at Jacob when he closed his lids for a couple of seconds -his face suddenly turning pained-, his reaction made her wonder if he was hurting in the inside due to the previous fight _'probably some internal injuries not visible to the normal eye'_ … but the ache he felt went beyond broken bones or a mauled face.

Absorbed by a dim tunnel of despair, several specks of images flashed reluctantly across his mind's eye. Cringing, Jacob relived the last seconds of one of his most dreadful memories: The terrified gasps of the girl standing next to him; the way her dark eyes –the same ones that had been haunting him for almost four years- reflected him back in the middle of the violent turmoil, how the deafening roars drowned away his alarmed warnings… and how finally the ferocious snarls burst free from his own lips.

In that dark second, Jacob Black lost control… changing his life -his reason- his meaning for ever.

His heart tightened as he pushed _her name _away from his thoughts –swallowing away the bitterness that lingered in his tongue-. The muscles in his face tightened, taking another heavy breath to calm himself down.

"I didn't need your help" his dark eyes snapped open.

"Yeah, I can see that you were doing_ such a great job _getting yourself beaten up by these lunatics…-".

"I had it under control" Jacob hissed, not allowing her to finish the rant.

"Really?" both her brows arched sarcastically.

"Yes."

"Well, you sure fooled me…" she bit back acidly "And exactly when did you claim control over the whole situation?"

His pursed his lips.

"Was it when '_your friend'_ kept smashing his fist against your face…? Or maybe it was when he was kicking you in the guts?" her hands on her hips as she lifted her chin up in an almost challenging manner.

_Unbelievable!__! Why won't he just admit that he needed help?_

"Still… You shouldn't have interfered" The husky scold stung her hard on the chest, getting her even angrier.

"Oh, _I'm sorry_" she placed a hand on her flushed cheek, mocking remorse "I didn't know you were into _**kinky**_ stuff like that" she winked while and laughing mordantly.

Gawking back at her, Jacob's teeth grinded almost audibly '_You have no idea what was going on back there…' _he opened his mouth to harshly rebuke at her but the girl cut him off, taking another step towards him.

"You know what? Next time I see them _**kicking the shit out of you**__,_ I won't even bother… I'll just let you enjoy the moment. No interruptions, guaranteed" she was seething now.

"It was none of your god damned business, ok?" Jacob's voice boomed impatiently. He held his breath, trying to ignore the sweetness of her scent that was brusquely suffocating him. _Damn you! _

Another gush of cold air blew through her disarrayed curls. The alluring fragrance irradiating from her stroke him in the face like an iron knuckle smashing hard against a wall; it was even thicker now and it made his knees wobble involuntarily. Frowning, he took a small step back, trying to conceal himself from it… but there was no where to hide. And even though his speeding metabolism –one of the main qualities of **what he was**- made it impossible for substances such like alcohol or drugs to have any sort of effect on him… for the first time in his complicated life, he felt **completely drunk**.

_Well, that's a new one._He mused.

Jake remembered all the endless times when he and his pack members tried to get 'wasted' down at First Beach. It annoyed them to hell that they could barely reach a feeble state of tipsiness after their 15th can of beer –but the effect didn't last long enough, though- their scorching body temperature seemed to evaporate absolutely everything in its way, restoring their health back to normal in matter of seconds.

_And all i__t took was a striking, irritating, volatile redhead… Should have known. _He shook his head to the irony of the whole thing; it was more than ridiculous. Giving a confused chuckle, his hands went trough his hair and rested on his neck, while looking at the girl with curious eyes.

She, on the other hand, glared back.

"Ugh! What ever! I don't give a damn anyway…" and throwing her arms up in anger, she spun around.

_Hostile__ this one, isn't she? _Amusement flicked his face.

"Oh, and by the way, you don't need to worry about _lil' ol' me… IM FINE!_" she hissed hotly over her shoulder. "I'm outta here" Kristen stormed away, her feet stomping down the street in an almost childish way. But that didn't stop her, she barely cared what HE thought at the moment.

For Jacob –on the other hand- it was strange how his heart suddenly throbbed inside his chest as he watched her leave. The irritation, the anger and the amusement he felt towards the girl were overwhelming him. She was definitively a very complex spirit… _and highly moody one _as far as he was concerned._ But, _even though she made him see red with her pigheadedness -not to mention that smart-mouth of hers that was certain to get her into more trouble than she could handle- he couldn't bare to think of being away from her just yet.

_G__reat going you ass! _

_Say something._

_Stop her! _He sighed exasperated as the fuming girl crossed the street, not looking back at him. She was almost reaching the corner of the second block when he began to jog silently, catching up in a few effortless strides. _I cant believe I'm doing this. Why should I try to comfort after that stunt she just pulled? _

"Are you hurt?"

The girl almost jumped out of her skin at his unexpected appearance –the angry cussing under her breath made his lips twitch- and even though she pretended not to have noticed him at all, the loud thudding against the ribcage gave her away immediately.

Kris kept walking, a low grunting sound rumbled inside her heaving chest. She had her nose stuck up in the air and her eyes set forward while she picked up her pace. The arrogant expression on the girl's flushed face was very amusing to Jacob; it suddenly reminded him of a scowling little girl who was told she had to share her favorite doll.

His lips twitched again.

"Did any of them hurt you?" Jacob asked softer this time, trying to sound a bit comforting but his efforts on getting her to answer back, failed.

_WOMEN! _He wanted to shout in frustration.

_THAT IS IT! _Feeling highly annoyed at her little conceited performance, Jacob decided to make Evans **stop and listen** by standing right in front of her and blocking the way. Kristen stopped abruptly -a low _'Oh' _left her lips_- _before colliding against his broad chest. Once again, scarlet flushed over her cold cheeks and the strange yet alluring warmth surrounded her frozen limbs.

"Hey, I asked you if you were alright?" he looked down at the crown of her head, fighting the urge to place a hand on her shoulder and give it a little shake, just to get some sort of reaction out of her –he felt his patience running out again-.

She heaved a small sigh and kept her face down, hiding the obvious embarrassment. _"What do you care?"_ she hissed through gritted teeth and tried to walk past him. But he was quicker.

_Chicks__ are so predictable sometimes… _he thought and before she had taken the second step, Jacob caught her delicate wrist gently between three of his fingers and spun her around so she would face him.

The unexpected contact made both of them catch their breaths, freezing on the spot. An audible gasp freed itself from the girl's lips as his scorching touch lightly branded the shape of his fingertips around the soft skin of her breakable wrist. Never looking away from her, his long fingers slowly closed around her slender hand -keeping it captive between his own- and smiled a little when small goosebumps spread along the skin of her arm.

He felt her tremble.

Kristen's head began to swirl. Her amber eyes hesitated before traveling up at the towering frame of the man who held her; she sucked in a sharp breath and allowed the magnetic force of his gaze to pull hers up and meet it half way. Both of his brows were knitted together and the intense emotion hidden behind those dark eyes seemed utterly authentic. He tilted his face in her direction, gradually coming closer to her. The warmth of his breathing tickled her eyelashes lightly.

_What is he…-?_

The indescribable draw she felt towards Black began to solidify and before she succumbed to the prickling feeling of anticipation on her lips, Kristen made herself snap out of the trance the were both immersed.

_God__! What the hell was that? _ "Leave me alone, alright" her words came out breathless and yanked her hand back hard.

Fearing that he might end up accidentally hurting the girl, Jacob loosened his hold at once and without saying a word, he let her go. He indulged himself in her scent once more before stepping back; his eyes following her swaying body across the deserted street as she tried to regain balance with each of her shaky steps.

_What is she doing to me! _his chest heaving.

"I should have known better…" she wanted to sound angry again but confusion had taken the best out of her, disrupting her little façade; she threw another glance over her shoulder just to find him staring back at her with the same bewildered look she felt on her own. _Who are you? _The question echoed in her mind as the other hand massaged the skin where he had touched her -tracing it with her fingertips- how could she still feel him?

_This is way too weird for me…_

"Where are you going?" he walked next to her once again, it was the third time she hadn't heard him approach.

"HOME!"

"You should come back with me to the bar; I can give you a lift to whe…-"

"Now, why would I want to do that?" she snapped tartly, fighting the urge to look up at him.

"It isn't safe for you to be walking around alone this time a night"

_Oh, so now you are worried about my safety? What's up with your mood swings? Some sort of a Guy-PMS syndrome?_

"Morning, actually. **AND **I can take care of myself" she bit haughty.

"Well, I'll give you that" he admitted mostly to himself "I'm just saying that you shouldn't push your luck…" and with that, he placed his hands inside the pockets of his jeans and paced next to Kristen -careful to leave a moderate space between them-.

The need of having her close was becoming confusing for Jacob –not to mention exhausting- her presence was literally draining him.

Feeling even weaker, Black pretended to cough so he could take a gulp of fresh air trough his mouth and clear his head. He had to know who she was and more importantly, _what she was. _It was clearly that like himself, she wasn't entirely human… but the question that fluttered inside him was: _could she be trusted? _

_She hadn't seen much back there –none of them had really phased in front of her-, but she had witnessed 'something'. Then again, the girl exposed herself to us as well… so I guess that sort of makes it even._

A slight feeling of relief washed over him at his small conclusion, and out of the blue, he began whistling –really out of tune- while internally wondering why the girl hadn't asked him a single question about the whole 'alley situation'.

"You know something? For a singer, you truly suck at whistling" now she was just being a pain in the ass.

"Ah, _**so it was you**_ at the bar…" he accused, breaking into a smile.

Her shoulders gave a small shrug.

"Hey, I had to have a flaw, right?" he scratched his chin carefree, giving a tiny laugh at her glower.

"SO, what? You're just gonna follow me around now?" She turned to look at him-feigning annoyance- but she had to admit that the thought of it some how thrilled her.

"Don't flatter yourself…" he chuckled, meeting her eyes. "It so happens that I live about eight blocks form here and _**you**_ happen to be on my path, so"

"Really? You don't say… " she asked incredulously, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, pine street apt twelve… just down there" his index finger pointed swiftly down the darkened street slightly covered with orange leaves.

"Hmmp" was all that came out of her lips when his genuine smile flashed before her.

Jacob carried on with his whistling –even louder this time- increasing Kristen's exasperation. She picked up her pace, trying to out walk him again –the childish thought of changing sidewalks crossed her mind, but she was sure he would somehow find an excuse to follow her-.

The whistling was brought to an end when his gaze focused on the girl's bare feet; he frowned. "You should put your shoes back on… your toes are turning purple".

Kristen glanced down and flinched when she saw that he wasn't kidding. "I don't know where they are" she chided.

_Damn,__ I'm more than screwed! Sophie will have my head for this!_

"Then you should let me carry you back…" his voice came a little huskier as he moved closer to her, the unnatural heat coming off him in waves now.

She cringed back. The determination she saw on his face made it clear that he wasn't bluffing -he was truly thinking of picking the girl up and carrying her all the way back to wherever she was heading-.

"You would _**not come an inch near me JACOB BLACK**_!" she threatened through curled lips as her eyes went wide in terror. Kristen had no idea how she would respond if he touched her again.

_Please don't!_She internally begged.

Completely aware that she wouldn't stand a chance against his massive strength, Kristen braced herself to what ever his stubborn little mind may try next. Clenching her teeth and closing her fists, she was ready to 'try and fight him off' –or make a run for it, what ever came first- but then became puzzled when she saw Black's eyes smolder faintly.

"You know my name" it wasn't a question; the thrill in his voice surprised the both of them.

"I heard it back there, remember?" she replied angrily while trying to console her embarrassment with irritation but the color on her cheeks and ears made her resemble a Christmas ornament on its best day.

_Simply ad__orable _his lips twitched.

_Get a __hold on yourself, man… _

_Shit, just stop it, ok? _He scowled at himself a second later. "Your feet are still going to freeze…" he said flatly, trying to regain composure over his renegade emotions.

She frowned.

Yes, her feet were indeed painfully numb and it took her every inch of strength not to sit on the floor and rub them between her hands to warm them up. But there was something stronger than the pain that was consuming her… and that was PRIDE. She had forbidden herself to look feeble in front of any man again –specially this particular one that was so keen on pushing her buttons beyond the limit-.

"I'll live"

"Yeah, you will… but as a handicap" He shrugged again, his stance annoyingly nonchalant to her.

"Listen, it's a long way back with no shoes" he didn't even feel himself close around the girl, the action coming so natural that it frightened him a little. "Seriously, I insist…"

He tilted his face towards hers, hoping she would comply with his hidden plea. He could tell she was considering the offer -her eyes swept down the dark frozen streets that awaited for her barefoot journey- but stubborn as she was, Kristen backed away.

"Don't…" her heart went violent again, amber eyes flashing menacingly.

Jacob stared at her for an instant, wavering- not wanting to set her off for any reason- he could sense a speck of hostility in her voice and that was a 'don't mess with me' sign; besides, he still hadn't figured out what the girl _was_ and he had to be extremely cautious for both their sakes.

"Are you always _this moody_?" he asked huskily, trying to sound carefree again.

"Are you _always this annoying?_" she bit back.

He let out a chuckle that deepened her frown. "Yeah, I guess I am." The prominent eye-roll of hers came on cue which made him laugh even louder now. _And I'm also losing myself in you…_he sighed to himself, a pleased feeling spreading in the inside his chest at the discovery.

_Life doesn't give me a break, huh?_ He mused, while readjusting a lose strand of hair behind his ear_. _

Feeling him move beside her, Kristen looked up and noted something odd. "Hey…weren't you bleeding a couple of seconds ago?" Her gaze focusing on his cleared up face, no trace of blood or scrapes anywhere.

_That's __peculiar. I'm sure he looked like he was run over by a truck…_

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She narrowed her eyes at his face. "Does that actually work? Shrugging away other people's suspicion by claiming you have no idea what they're talking about?"

_Sometimes. _"Guess I'm a quick healer" he looked away –his hand instinctively wiping across his forehead- and his smile fading quickly.

"No" she pressed on and he grinded his teeth "I'm pretty sure that you were bleeding to death like five minutes ago" his change of mood became obvious for her.

"You have a pretty crazy imagination" now it was him who rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh, now you think I'm crazy?"

"… said the one with no shoes" he smirked, facing her in spite himself "No, I said that you have a crazy imagination, that's all"

"Same thing" she shrugged.

"Anyway… probably the other guy's blood you saw" and he looked away.

"I still think you should go to the hospital to get a -"

"I'll be fine" he snapped sternly.

"… said the one with broken ribs and a mauled face" she retorted in a lousy attempt to imitate scolding voice.

He glared back at her. _You think you are cute, huh?_

"Either way, I heard them _crack…_" she eyed him accusingly while he turned away.

_Damn it! _He continued looking forward, in complete silence, hoping that the girl would just drop it and leave him the hell alone.

They took a few more steps in silence, when…

"Jacob?"

It was impossible to describe the emotion he felt when he heard his name leave her plumb lips; the guy's heart simply swelled up with joy.

"Yes?" he cleared the delight out of his throat.

"Weren't you going back for your car?"

"Bike…" he corrected her "and no, I'll just pick it up tomorrow".

_Bike? Oh, he probably means a motorcycle. Well, it definitively suits his character._

"Um, why do you drive a bike if you live a couple of blocks from work? Cant you just walk back home?"

He cocked a brow at her question."Oh, so we have an activist amongst us, huh?" he teased nonchalantly, hunching a little in search of her eyes.

"You never know" She smiled directly at him for the first time –making his heart swell up a little in response to her dazzling beam- there was no doubt that his charisma was working his magic on her.

"Um, but you still haven't answered my question" she gave a small giggle.

"Well…" he hesitated for a second before answering "'Cause I never go home after my jams" Hey, at least he was being honest with her, he could have easily lied.

"Why? Do you work somewh-…?" but his awkward smile made her swallow her original question. _OH!_ she finally caught up what he _meant by 'never going home after his jams' _

Feeling utterly stupid now –her whole face and neck, blazing- she looked away to conceal her irritation and all she could manage was a quiet 'never mind'. The last thing Kristen needed was a verbal explanation of Jacob's nightly whereabouts; the thought of the different possibilities got her even more disturbed.

_Ugh!__ MEN!_

_Should have __seen that one coming…_ _Hot guy, motorcycle, lead singer in a rock band! IT WAS OBVIOUS! _Her throat tightened. _OH, THE HELL WITH IT! So WHAT if he ends up __**getting laid at a cheap motel room with some random skank?**__ I don't give a damn… I hardly even know the guy. WHY SHOULD I CARE! He can do whatever he wants with whom ever he wants for as long as he wants!_

Her sight suddenly blurred, so she blinked furiously. _Was that a tear?_

_Shit, Kristen! W__hy are you getting so worked up about him, huh? _She grinded her teeth _"It's not like he gives a damn about you either! He's probably an ass like every other bastard you've known along the way…_

Stealing a glace through her windswept hair, she saw Jacob's blank face looking forward casually, while humming mostly to himself; but the truth was that he was trying with all his strength not to burst into laughter at silent the little outburst she was having.

_Don't __know what ever gave me the idea that he might be different from everyone else. I guess I was wrong as always. _The defeat in her sigh made his stomach feel uneasy, making him wonder why she'd gotten upset.

_Yes, he's definitively a player. __That gorgeous smile and his courteous façade don't fool me one bit. Well, he sure knows what his got right there…_ she raised a brow. _Any girl in her right mind would be drooling like an idiot all over his huge frame, bad-ass look and well built muscles... _

_Hmm. _She mused, peeking at him under her eyelashes. _Jacob Black._

_Big._

_**Bad.**_

_BUILT. _

She couldn't hold the little smirk spreading mischievously across her half hidden face, the selection of words seemed to suit him quite perfectly. _Oh, now who's drooling over him! Damn it Evans, you make me sick. _She scoffed and throwing him a pissed-off glare, she picked up her pace.

_Now what's gotten into her? _Jacob stifled a snicker. His eyes locked on the bouncing movement of her curls as she took quicker strides, then dropped to the girl's brittle hands that were all balled up into fists and finally went back to her delicate shoulders, which he noticed were locked together.

_Great, s__he's mad again. _It didn't surprise him. He was starting to perceive that she lost her temper rather easily._ Why are women so complicated! I just don't get it… first she's mad, then she smiles and now she throws me the evil glare!_

He was about to ask her what was the problem when…

"Hey, what do you know, this is my street" she cut him off –sounding quite sardonically- and her feet moved quickly as she turned around the darkened corner, Jacob's light footsteps right behind her.

"Oh, it was _delightful_ talking to you Mr. Black, but I'm afraid that_** here**_ is where we go on own separate ways" she breathed sarcastically over her shoulder, pulling her arms closely to her body to avoid the possibility of him grabbing hold of her again.

"Well, night" and she nearly ran towards the dark fence outside the maroon building that wasn't –for her liking- far enough from where Jacob stood motionless. All she wanted to do was place as much distance between them as possible -she was upset, annoyed and at the verge of tears-.

"It isn't fair, you know…" he spoke gently, taking two measured steps forward but keeping himself at bay.

Curious at his small objection, Kristen was about to ask what he was talking about but decided it was a safe harbor not to join in his little game. Ignoring the feeling of his burning eyes on the side of her face, she began looking for the spare key Sophie left inside the mail box.

"I still don't know your name" he pressed on, folding his arms across his chest, watching her place the small silver key in her hand and walk through the fence.

"What's in a name?" she asked mostly to herself, pressing her forehead against the cold surface of the wooden door.

"Even if you knew mine, what ever gave you the idea that you would use it again to call on me?" finally she turned around, her eyes cautiously eyes meeting his, knowing the effect they had on her.

"And if someday, you do call it out loud…" she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and let her gaze drop to her hands "why would I bother _answering back to it?"_

Jacob sharply inhaled at her words but chose not to say anything and remained as calm as he could manage, though in the inside, his heartstrings were being pulled violently in different directions.

"I'm off your list Jacob Black" she whispered sullenly under her breath, her voice breaking right at the very end. She fought back a few renegade tears that were threatening to break free and slowly turned away, introducing the key and turning the knob of the heavy wooden door.

_Off my__ list? _He heard himself repeat her words, not sure if he gotten them right. _What list? _His heart tightened, guilt spreading all over his chest. _What did she meant by that? Hey, wait! _But the girl had already locked herself away from his view.

"Please…" he whispered, but she wasn't within the hearing range.

Cussing at his slow reaction –he could have stopped her… he could have demanded an explanation- he continued rooted in place. He closed his eyes for a moment and focused his sensitive hearing on the girl's swift steps running up along the stairs; she suddenly stopped –_ third floor, _he told himself- and spun the knob. The soft thud of the door told him she was inside her apartment; there were several almost inaudible steps along the room and finally the flowing sound of running water – the shower-.

_S__igh._

_Such a complex, obstinate and confusing creature. _

His lids fluttered opened again and his gaze became fixed on the only dim-lit window of the building, silently praying to be able to at least catch a glimpse of her shadow through the shades, becoming disappointed a second later when the girl flicked the light off.

_What's in a name, you ask?_ His eyes smoldered when he saw the faint outline of her silhouette through the thin fabric of the curtains –his heart swelling up at the possibility of her eyes searching for him in the darkness-

_Your name is not even as clos__e as the mystery of who you are. _He lips pulled up into a smile.

_I will know your name soon enough, though. But answering the riddle of why you've crossed my path… now that will be quite a challenge._

He smiled whilst slowly walking away and hiding in the shadows, feeling stupid, content, confused and idiotic all at once. It was the first time –in a very long time- that he felt a tiny fleck of hope rise from the ashes where his ragged heart kept buried.

_Maybe._ He mused.

* * *

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

She closed the faucet, not quite sure if she heard something at all.

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

There it was again.

_Sophie probably forgot__ her keys again. _

_Guess this will have to wait for later _she frowned, rinsing the small blade with cold water before placing it back inside the bathroom's cabinet. Kristen quickly wiped away the crimson droplets from the tiles on the floor with a tissue paper –making sure to flush the evidence down the toilet-.

"Coming!" she called back while looking for a gauze to place over the thin incision on her left arm. When she finally found one, she covered the area with it –the stinging sensation making her wince- and pulled down the sleeve of her sweater.

_It's odd, though. __She was supposed to stay at Mark's place tonight._ She made way through the corridor of the small apartment.

_THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_

The banging against the door was rather vicious now, causing her to slow her pace. _Sophia couldn't possibly knock like that._ Kristen's heart began to race, chills running down her spine.

_Either Sophie is__ really, really pissed off or it's som-… _

"KRISTEN!"

_**Gasp!**_She froze as soon as she heard her name. Violent tremors held her hostage, her mind slowly calculating the chances of her worst fears coming true.

_He couldn't… _

_He's miles away, how did he…? _

_It can't be him._

"KRISTEN, OPEN UP! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" Her heart literally flew out of her mouth as she recognized the deep, enraged voice she had learned to loathe and fear through all those years of agony.

_THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_

_THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_

Angry tears filled her terrified eyes whilst her throat went completely dry.

_**He found me.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Sorry for the cliffy **** Hmm, wonder WHO that could be… *muses* **

**Well, here it is. ****So, what do you guys think? Like it? Hate it? Nothing at all? *nervous at your response* *brain is literally dry* *blacks out***

**Please review**** I so desperately need to know what you guys have to say about this chapter. Suggestions, constructive criticism is also welcomed.**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

**Love you so much****, have a great week.**


End file.
